Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a method for the functional testing of an arrangement for dynamic fuel consumption measurement, with reference measured values being recorded at certain reference flows at a flow sensor provided for the actual measurement of the dynamic fuel consumption in order to be compared with the expected measured values.
The Prior Art
Particularly for research and development pertaining to internal combustion engines, it is important to measure fuel consumption—which is the fuel mass per time unit actually introduced into the combustion chamber of the internal combustion engine—precisely and in real time. When on the test bench or in the respective application, the internal combustion engine is usually supplied with liquid fuel, such as gasoline or Diesel, from the tank from which the fuel is fed to a consumption sensor by gravity or with the aid of a fuel pump in order to measure the fuel inflow as well as to a conditioning unit in which, on the one hand, the required fuel over- or underpressure is set with the aid of a pump and optionally by means of pressure regulators and, on the other hand, above all a defined fuel temperature is set with a heat exchanger. Of course, the most essential component is the flow sensor provided for the actual measurement of the dynamic fuel consumption, for which reason its correct functioning must be checked at least from time to time. For this purpose, a reference flow is usually provided whose flow rate is known and/or controllable and can be compared with the actually measured value.
While the above-described preparation of a reference flow advantageously also enables the absolute calibration of the flow sensor, it requires comprehensive and correspondingly expensive provisions and additional method steps that are not suited to, or impede, quick functional testing of the overall arrangement.
It is therefore the object of the present invention to improve a method of the type mentioned at the outset such that quick functional testing of the arrangement, even during each startup, for example, can be performed for fuel consumption measurement without requiring comprehensive provisions and additional alterations and additions to the arrangement for the absolute calibration of the flow sensor that are only justified in larger time intervals.